Boozy Prickly Pear Popsicles

Even though summer is technically gone, it sure feels like it never left Texas! It is still 80 plus degrees here so even though most people are starting to break out their fall favorites, we still have to come up with creative ways to keep ourselves cool!

Growing up, there was no better way to cool down on a hot day than with a nice frozen popsicle. Now that we are adults, there is no reason why we can’t put a boozy twist on our favorite childhood pastime.

That’s why I’ve created this special Boozy Prickly Pear Popsicle recipe! I promise you that this recipe is so delicious and refreshing you are going to want to have it all year. Even though the recipe is catered towards adults, let your kids in on the fun by creating a batch without the added gin.

What is Prickly Pear?

A prickly pear is a unique, extremely sweet that grows on opuntia cactuses. This fruit is extremely popular in Mexico but can also be found in parts of the United States as well as the Caribbean. What makes this fruit so unique is that it tastes like a mix of bubblegum and watermelon! This fruit can add a fun twist to any of your favorite recipes! It is commonly used as a syrup, like in my recipe here, but can be eaten right off the cactus if your heart desires (make sure to take proper harvesting precautions if you decide to do so). Prickly pears aren’t only unique because of their flavor, they also provide tons of health benefits as well! They are packed with essential vitamins, antioxidants and inflammatory properties.

Gin of Choice!

For this recipe I chose to use my all time favorite gin, Empress 1908. Although any gin will work just fine, Empress is my first choice because of it’s unique blue color. Empress 1908 is a micro distilled gin using juniper, rose ginger and butterfly pea powder which gives it the unique blue color.

How to Make Them

This is a super simple and easy to follow recipe! For more on the syrup, head over here! All you have to do is mix all the ingredients into a bowl, pour the mixture into popsicle molds and then freeze them for about 6 hours! Keep in mind that if you can’t get your hands on prickly pears, you can swap them out for any herbal syrup. The same goes for the elderflower tonic, you can opt for other tonic flavors but the elderflower will bring a really nice botanical flavor to the mix. Make the popsicles extra special by freezing some edible flowers. I used pintas in these.

Boozy prickly pear popsicles are the perfect recipe for a hot day, and can be enjoyed by adults and children (of course, non alcoholic version for the kiddos!). It is such an easy recipe to make and really only requires five quick ingredients! The most difficult part about this recipe is waiting for them to freeze because trust me, you are going to be dying to try them.